On Friday 10 February (5.30pm - 6.30pm) we are running a taster class in Flamenco dance for adult Beginners in the dance studio at Pegasus Theatre, Oxford. This class will enable you to try out Flamenco dance without having to make a long term committment.

The class will be taught by Rosa Maria Reed, Camino del Flamenco's most experienced Flamenco dance teacher who specialises in making Flamenco dance accessible, enjoyable and fun to learn. For this class you don't need previous Flamenco dance experience - it's suitable for complete beginners and for people who have previously done a little Flamenco, but want to learn more.

You don't need to have a high level of fitness to enjoy Flamenco and it's not danced in partners. It’s a passionate, lively and energetic dance and it's all about enjoying the music and the rhythms as you dance. 

Dancing Flamenco burns up to 500 calories in a 1 hour class and as it’s a very expressive dance style, helping you to get rid of stress and tension. Learning to perfect physical skills builds confidence and helps with co-ordination. Dancing Flamenco develops and strengthens your core body muscles, tones your arm and leg muscles, improves your posture and builds overall stamina. Learning dance choreography is a scientifically proven way to keep your brain sharp and to actually improve brain performance in the long term.

Students who enjoy this class will be pleased to know that Camino del Flamenco will be running a longer course in Flamenco dance for Beginners at Pegasus from March.

We kick off 2017 in fine style with our first Spanish Night at The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury starring "Fiesta Flamenca" on Saturday 4 February.

The group features the wonderful dancing of top male dancer Victor Fernandez from Madrid, who performed in the UK for the first time at our Spanish Night (South) in October last year and we are thrilled to welcome him to The Mill for the first time. He has performed with all the major Flamenco artistes in Spain including Eva Yerbabuena, Farruquito, Rafaela Carrasco and Javier Latorre and he performed with the Ballet Flamenco de Madrid and the Rafael Aguilar Dance Company and well as winning Spain's top award for choreography. We are very excited to be bringing him to The Mill for the first time! For this show he is joined by dancer Lourdes Fernandez Menaya, singer Julio Lopez and guitarist Ramon Ruiz. They will perform a theatre length show of two halves with an interval.

Our Spanish Nights at The Mill Arts Centre are held in the Millers Bar, a private performance bar which is transformed into a typical Spanish tablao with cabaret style seating complete with complimentary Spanish bar snacks. The power of the performance lies in the intimate venue and your proximity to the passionate dancing of the performers, so please buy your tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment (the venue only holds 65) and treat yourself to a night of Flamenco power, passion and artistry in a close-up, intimate setting you'll find unforgettable.

You'll find more details of the show, plus photos and film of the company in performance on our website SHOW page (including a link to buying tickets) and also on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. You can also go directly to the Mill Arts Centre website and tickets can only be bought directly from The Mill (in person, over the phone or via their website)

Date: Sunday 19 February 2017; Time: 2 - 4 pm; Price: £10

Dreamscape: From Contact to Contiguity. This is a dance session for contact improvisation. Warm up led by Michelle Azdajic followed with a contact improv dance session ('jam'). Live musical accompaniment by Malcolm Atkins. Explore the landscape of dreams and its common imagery as catalyst for the flow of contact, movement and communication with others. All are welcome including those not at Oxford University and beginners. No previous experience needed.

Contact improvisation is a dance which originated in the 1970’s and which has now spread throughout the world. It’s often taught in university dance courses but it’s easy to learn and fun. It’s an improvised dance - a dialogue in movement - which has a fluid and dynamic form, and it’s social dancing; not stage dancing. Suitable for everyone, whatever your age, gender or dancing experience.

Please wear loose clothing in which you can move freely and bring a water bottle. Note that the session is in the Multi-Purpose Room on the lower floor of the Club. Please ask at the reception if necessary.

Afterwards, hot and cold refreshments are available.

Location: Oxford University Club, 11 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3SZ.Note: We'll use the MPR (Multi Purpose Room) on the lower floor of the Club.

This is our maxim: All life a dance; everyone a dancer; every moment a dance.

The annual Oxford International Women’s Festival returns to present a diverse and exciting line-up of events across Oxford from Friday 24th February to Monday 13th March 2017. The Festival exists to celebrate women’s achievements and solidarity and to highlight local, national and international issues. It is organised by local women to reflect a wide range of backgrounds and experiences - and has played a significant part in the community for over a quarter of a century.

Led by James Cousins, this session will provide teachers with exciting ideas to introduce and develop contact work with students.

Using the themes of Within Her Eyes as a starting point, participants will explore ways to use these ideas creatively to develop performance and choreography skills. The workshop will be suitable for teachers of Dance and Performing Arts courses looking to develop their teaching practice.

Get in touch with your inner beauty, goodness & power in an uplifting & nuturing day of Nia Holistic Movement, Creative Expression (sound/art) & Dance Meditation/Mindfulness. (In conjunction with International Womens Day Festival Oxford 2017)

£50/£40 prepay only via paypal on meetup. (contact me if you need to pay by cash/cheque)
Healthy nibbles/drinks included.
Bring a vegan lunch item to share.

Vicky Rainbow is the creator of SOUL SHINE – Dance, Fitness & Wellbeing and has been facilitating inspirational workshops for over 12 years. She is a Blue Belt Nia Technique Instructor, long time meditator, artist & singer/songwriter. Go to www.soulshine.org.uk to see more about me and what I do...

Feedback from other workshops....
“ It is a wonderful experience of dance, movement, freedom, joy, and deeper inner connection, guided by the wonderful Vicky who creates a safe and comfortable atmosphere for everyone to feel at ease. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to feel good and open up to more love and light! ” Paola on Oct 30, 2016. (Feel Good Workshop)

The theme of ‘love’ was perfect for the workshop and I loved the selection of Nia songs that Vicky had chosen to go with the theme. It was a great mix of movement and dance with also a chance to explore expression in dance. Vicky led the workshop really well and made everyone feel welcome, embraced and relaxed – Sarah Gibbs (Nia Technique Teacher) Mar 2015.

Join me for a special "Valentines" uplifting heart-warming afternoon of Nia Movement (a holistic fitness technique), Dance Meditation/Mindfulness, & Easy Yoga/Relaxation especially designed to more love and good feelings into your Body, Mind, Heart & Life...
-Get Fit & Feel Great with some of my favourite Nia Moves & Grooves (with stunning soul-stirring music from all around the world)
-Let go, Move freely, Explore, Experience & Express the LOVE within, with some Dance Meditation/Mindfulness
-Relax & Be with some easy yoga/relaxation
-Meet other like minded women, have fun and enjoy!
contact me if you need to pay in another way than paypal....
Let's keep on sharing the LOVE ❤️ I hope you can come...

Heres some positive feedback from some of my past workshops......
“ It is a wonderful experience of dance, movement, freedom, joy, and deeper inner connection, guided by the wonderful Vicky who creates a safe and comfortable atmosphere for everyone to feel at ease. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to feel good and open up to more love and light! ” Paola on Oct 30, 2016. (Feel Good Workshop)

The theme of ‘love’ was perfect for the workshop and I loved the selection of Nia songs that Vicky had chosen to go with the theme. It was a great mix of movement and dance with also a chance to explore expression in dance. Vicky led the workshop really well and made everyone feel welcome, embraced and relaxed – Sarah Gibbs (Nia Technique Teacher) Mar 2015.

Vicky Rainbow is the creator of SOUL SHINE – Dance, Fitness & Wellbeing and has been facilitating inspirational workshops for over 12 years. She is a Blue Belt Nia Technique Instructor, long time meditator, artist & singer/songwriter

A FREE event supported by: Age UK Oxfordshire, Dementia Oxfordshire, Creative Dementia Arts Network, Guideposts and Oxford City Council.

This event is aimed at cultural venues, organisations and freelancers that deliver/ would like to deliver activities for people living with dementia. It is also suitable for those working with people who have dementia, who would like to learn more about the role of the cultural sector. The content of this event assumes that you have a basic level knowledge of Dementia Friendly best practice. The programme is action driven and aims to provide you with the tools, information and contacts you need to apply the learning within your own setting. The content builds on the following toolkit: Becoming a dementia-friendly arts venue: A practical guide. The event is interactive and will involve plenty of discussion, debate and networking- a lively afternoon for all.

If you haven’t already registered your interest, then please do as soon as possible as places are limited: farrellcurran@ageukoxfordshire.org.uk. Registration forms will be sent to all delegates who have registered shortly.

PROGRAMME

1. Introduction

2. What is Dementia? (Refresher)

3. Community Engagement

4. Partnership Working

5. Accessibility

6. Programming

7. Next steps

8. Networking